A Smile
by BlueSpiritFire1
Summary: A brief moment in the 1st Bleach movie, Memories of Nobody. My ByakuyaxOrihime conditioned mind just scoops up insignificant little stuff like this. AND RUNS OVER THE HILLS WITH IT.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters! I Make no profit from this fanfiction, other than the enjoyment of the readers!**

**Occurs in a point toward the end of the first Bleach movie, Memories of Nobody, when everyone jumps out of the river and they look down at Orhime, Uryuu, Chad, Urahara and co. Hell, it wasn't even a moment! Byakuya was just THERE. In the same 1 mile radius as her. AND I MADE SOMETHING OF IT!  
**

**WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?  
**

**Although I do have a song listed, it's not really the classic type of song i'd usually put next to a short thing like this. I'm not sure if I was even listening to the full version. And this is a very short oneshot. Would it be considered a drabble? I dunno. **

**ENJOY LE DESCRIPTIVE NONSENSE!  
**

**Name:** A Smile  
**Paring:** Byakuya x Orihime  
**Song:** Lost In The Echo - Linkin park

* * *

When the numerous differently ranked Shinigami return from the Valley of Screams, vaulting high into the air with a jet of green tinged water, Orihime eagerly searches their numbers. She's quietly relieved of a great fear when she sees _him_, safe and well. And then she runs to the rail, realising that her dear friend is not among those returned. She smiles and exhales as he shoots from the river, the Memory Rosary clinging to his side. She's pretty; the being fabricated from the memories of lost souls, with her glossy dark purple hair and her large, orb-like, startling orange eyes.

But Orihime can't help but look away from them, only to seek the long black-haired Noble and Captain again. He's discreetly glancing at Rukia, and Orihime smiles a little. This is a different Byakuya Kuchiki to the one Ichigo first fought. He's changed. It's only slight, but Orihime can see it. It makes her happy.

And then his eyes meet hers.

For the first time, a momentary glance has never felt like such an eternity. She feels like there is nothing but he other soul she's staring at, and she can see him so clearly. The glistening water droplets that cling slightly to his garments are naught but the diamonds of nature. But he is whole and safe and unscarred by injury, and for that she is thankful.

And then, before he can even think of breaking eye contact, she smiles. It's not a full grin, or even one that she gives normally. But he's seen it before, simply never in relation to him.

It's the smile she gives when the people she loves return to her, safely. It's a smile of relief and joy. And nothing has ever seemed to warm and loving to him.

He would _like_ to think it's for him, but that would be wrong. She only smiles like that at the Substitute. Perhaps she is smiling as thanks for helping?

But…No...That is a different type of smile altogether. That is one that beams like the sun and makes you want to help again, simply to see it once more.

_This_ smile is something like dappled sunlight, filtering through the trees and illuminating things once hidden or undiscovered.

A renewed sense of calm and enormous relief shines in her pearl grey eyes, tinged with the aqua green light of the dying portal below. Perhaps no one will ever truly realise how worried the human girl becomes when those close to her heart are in peril, but seeing her eyes regain their sparkle at the sight of _him_ unharmed brings him one step closer.

This smile, this precious hidden sign of affection, is for him and him alone.

So he locks it away, deep into his vault of strength, to draw upon it later on when he is pushed to extremes and needs to be reminded of why he fights.

* * *

**Yup. Another ByakuyaxOrihime oneshot for yall! Maybe I should start calling them ByaHime? Meh.**

**I needed to write something about them after reading and re-reading the latest manga chapters T_T  
**

**STOP ABUSING THE POOR MAN AND LET HIM GO PEACEFULLY! OH GOD STOP TORMENTING ME AND GETTING MY HOPES UP WITH 'FINAL WORDS'!  
**

**Please review, especially since I don't really write in this style. Usually it's 3rd person (I think that's the term for it O_O')  
**


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